Stop this food waste scandal
Gove will ‘step up to the plate’ to halve 100,000 tons we don’t eat every year
MICHAEL Gove last night became the first to sign up to a landmark pledge not to throw out uneaten food as part of a bid to halve wastage by 2030.
The Environment Secretary said it was a ‘moral, economic and environmental scandal’ that 100,000 tons of edible food goes uneaten every year.
He urged supermarkets, manufacturers and suppliers to ‘step up to the plate’ and sign the pledge to stop good food going to waste in their industries.
Ministers want social media ‘influencers’ and chefs to sign the pledge to urge others to make better shopping decisions. The initiative, spearheaded by Ben Elliot, the Government’s food surplus and waste champion, calls on firms to set ‘ambitious’ reduction targets. The charity WRAP estimates that 100,000 tons of edible food – equivalent to 250 million meals – goes uneaten each year.
Instead, this food is sent away for generating energy or used as animal feed.
Mr Gove said: ‘I want to thank our marvellous food surplus and waste champion Ben Elliot for his brilliant work in bringing together the biggest players from the world of food to commit to tackling food waste.
‘Together we must end the moral, economic and environmental scandal of food waste.
‘The UK is showing real leadership in this area but I urge businesses to join me in signing the pledge so we can bring about real change.
‘Every year, around 100,000 tons of readily available and perfectly edible food goes uneaten. It’s time to join together and “step up to the plate” to stop good food going to waste.’
As part of the pledge, Mr Gove will check his fridge before he shops to ensure he does not buy unnecessary food.
He will use shopping lists and plan his household’s meals. The Environment Secretary will also ensure he eats what he buys by freezing what he cannot consume right away and ensuring his fridge is at the right temperature. He will ‘strive to achieve the behaviour he wants to see in others’.
Mr Elliot is asking nearly 300 organisations and individuals due to attend a major gathering on food waste this month to adopt a package of pledges.
Businesses are expected to set their own targets to help contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goal of halving per capita global food waste by 2030.
Ministers also want wider adoption of the ‘food waste reduction roadmap’ to help companies measure and report on efforts to cut waste. Devised by sustainability charity WRAP, it has Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons among the signatories.
Mr Elliot will host the ‘Step Up To The Plate Symposium’ alongside Mr Gove at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London next Monday.
A spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was unable to reveal who would be attending but said it ranged from large retailers to public figures.
Mr Elliot said: ‘Wasting food is an environmental, moral and financial scandal. We intend for the symposium and pledge to spark action, not just conversation, and inspire us all to champion change.’
The Government has committed to investing £15 million in tackling food waste.